Apparatus for walking on water



A. N. SHELDON Nov; 20, 1928.

APPARATUS FOR WALKING ON WATER vFiled Dec. 1s, 1927 2 sheets-sheet lwwntoz SH01 1 new;

A/erz N 57m/don;

S//Mw Imam Nov. 2o, 1928.

A. N. SHELDON APPARATUS FOR WALKING ON WATER -Filed Dec. 13, 1927 2 sheen-sheet 2 V QN Patented Nov. 20, 1928.

ALBERT n. sHELnoN, or vENrUnA, oAmFonNIa.

Y APPARATUS FOR WALKING ON WATER.

Application filed December 13,1922. Serial: No. 239,635.

tion is toy make provision for positive operation, bythe walker, ot the paddles or hns,

thereby to. obtain quicker movement of said l tins from collapsed into/ open position for holding of the lioat againstrearward mol5 tion, as much as possible.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the sub-j oi'ned detailed description.

rllhe accompanying drawings illustrate the. invention:

2,0 Figurey 1 is a plan view of an apparatus constructed in accordance with the provisions of this` invention, solid lines indicating the parts in the mid-.stride position, and broken lines indicating the trame and one et the A floatsin the positions they assume at. the end of a stride. e

Figure 2 is aside elevation of Figure 1 partly in section. Figure 3 isa sectional elevation onthev line indicated by 3-3 Figure 2,. the upper portion of the steering columnandthe steering handle being broken away to contract the view'. Y l l l Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional detail on the line indicated by 4-4, Figure 2.V Y

Figure 5 is a sectional elevation on the line indicated by 5.-5, Figure 4.

Figure 6 is an enlarged ragmental longitudi-nal section onthe line lindicated by 66,.

Figure 1.l The paddles or fins are shown. in

open position. Y c

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6 with the paddles or linsiin closed position-- l l There is provided a suitable Jframe indicated in general bythe character 1Q` and constructed, in this instance, of longitudinally extending lower inner members 12v and longitudinally extending upper inner members 13. The members-11 converge at their ends and are there connected with the members 12.y rlhe mem-bers 13- have downwardly bent pzortions 14 at their rontends connected toy each otherA by a cross member l5. The rear ends of the members 1l are connected by a cross member 16.- and the 'rear` ends of the members 13' are connected by a cross member 17.. yAt

' intervals the members 11, 12and13 are connected by transversely extending trusses; 18,

VPreferably the frame l0 is prieipally const ructed ofseamless steel tubing with the ditlerentmembers Welded to. one another.

Positioned beneath the frame is a pair of spaced floats 19 extendingiparallel with'. onev another and decked over, the. decks, being lndicated at 20. The decks 20. are; provided wlth openings 2l throughwhich the operator passes his feet. In the instance; shawn in the drawings the i'oats 19l arel divided into a number of water tight compartments. 23, 24 so as to. insure buoyancy and any water that may accidentally enter the openings 2]. will not be` able to penetrate into any' of(` said wa.- tertightY compartments and swamp the apparatus. Y v

The membersll, l2 serve, as guides andare engaged by bearings 25 each of which is constructed as follows: A suitablev standard' 26 is fastened by screws 2,7 to. the deck of the float and it supports three pins 28. On the pins. 28 areV jjournaled grec-ved rollers 29; the p1ns28i bei-ng positioned to bring the peripheries of the rollers in radial relation to the guides which; they engage. -The radi-us of curvature of the peripheries of the rollers, transversely thereof, is slightly greater than theradius'oi curvature of Ythe guides so' as to. prevent any tendency toi binding between the rollers and the guides. In this particular instance; six bearings 25 are provided, one on each of the floats near the outercdgethereof engaging the adjacent members 1l, and two on each` of the iloats near l the inner edge thereof engagingthe adjacent member 12;.

In order that the frame may be positively advanced half the distance that either of the l'oats is advanced relative to the other float, the fol-lowing construction is provided. Pivoted at. 30 at its center toa transversemember 3.1 supported by the members 12, ist a lever 3.2 and pivoted to the outer ends of said lever at 33 arel-in-ks- 34. The rear ends ofthe links 34 are pivoted at 35to: the decks, respectively, of the floats, preterably'along the longitudinal axes ofi said floatsthough such position is not.l essential; It willv now be seen that advancing of eitherl of the floats. will swing the lever 32 about one ofthe pivots- 33? acting as a fulcru-m, said fulcrum shifting, however, so as to'per-Init the pivot. 30 to advance in a. l straight path.. Since the pivot 30 is midway of the' distance between the pivots 33, the frame will :be advanced just half ofthe distance traversed by the float. 'Y

Fixed to the cross members 16, 17 is a vcrtical bearing 36 for arudder post 37. The

rudder post 37 is provided with an arm 38' which carries a rudder 41,

A triangular steering arm 43 is connected at its ends to the rudder. To the opposite sides of the arm 43 are secured cables 45 which are crossed and extend forwardly and are secured to theopposite ends 'of the arms '46 projecting `from the opposite sides of a steering shaft 47 having a steering handle`46 at its upper end. AThe shaft 47 is journaled in a steeii'ing column 49 connected by 'crossmembers 50 to the frame members 12, 13. Turning of the handle 46 in either directionv effects y steering of the apparatus in that direction. 2d

' If desired, and it is preferable, the frame may be provided'between the floats with a centerboard 55.

1 The construction above described is' the sameasv that described in the hereinbefore mentioned patent'and the novel features of the invention are described as follows:

Pivoted horizontally at 56 by a hinge or any other suitable means are paddles or tins 1 57. As many ins as desired Vmay be employed,

there being shown in this particular instance, three vfor each float, one .near each end of each fioatand one about the middle of each float. Suitable mechanism'is provided for operating` the fins 57 into' extended or open positionand into collapsed position, there being one set of mechanism for operating the fins of 'eachfloat Since the fin operating mechanisms are the same, only one will be described herein. Connected with each of the fio' fins 57 isan arm 58.` The arms 58 extend along one side ofthe float'with which the fins 57 are'associated andeach arm 58is pivoted at'59 toa connecting rod 60 which is also y positioned outside ofthe float and longitudiof the float and the shaft 66 extends into and across the float. The shaft 66 is provided inside of the float with another lever arm 67 which -is pivoted at 63 to a link 69 that, in turn, is'pivoted at 7 Oto a foot actuated lever 71. The fulcrum 7 2 of the lever 7 lis supported on the bottom of the float. In this particular instance, the lever 71 is approximately U- shaped, the cross member thereofbeing provided'witli a rounded member 73 uponwhich the footv of the operator is adapted to rest when his weight is thrownon that foot. The

member 73 isadapted to lie beneath the arch of the foot directly in front of the heel. kWhen the operator bears his weight on the levery 71', the parts will be moved into and held in the positions shown inFigure 6, with the finsV extended. When his weight is taken off of the lever 71, the parts will assume the positions shown in Figure so that the fins will be collapsed. Y f p A 1 The invention operates as follows: The pedestrian`A standing with one of his feetvin each of the floatswith his weigh-t resting equally onv each foot will progress yon the water by kshifting of his weight largely 'on one foot and shoving his other foot forwardly'so as to' advance the float attachedto theV latter foot. The weight being offof his forwardly pressed foot, will permit'thespring to effect retraction of the fins tothe collapsed position shown in LFig. 7. The ball of this foot will rest on the bottom of the float and will'be preventedfrom slipping forward on said bottom byreason of the heel of 'said foot pushingagainst the member' 73. The insof the forwardly moving float beingcollapsed rearwardly permit Avof free forward motio'nof said ioat over the water, whereas lthe fins` of the float that support the weight of the pedes-` trian hold the second float against any sub-- stantial rearward motion. The moving float, through the lever and'links 32, 34, pushes the frame forwardly. When this stride is 'completed, the operator will shift his weight, thus extending' the fins that were formerly ,col-

lapsed and collapsing thefins that were fornr erly extended andthen a step or lstride .will

be taken'by that foot from vwhich the weight has been relieved. Y

y I claim:

1. An apparatus for walking on` water comprising floats, a linvmovablymounted on each( of the'floats, a lever mounted in each ofthe floats operable inone direction by weight of the'operator imposed thereon, and a means connected with each fin operable by movement of each of the levers in said direction to move the associated lin into extended position. 2. An apparatus for walking on vwater comprising floats, a fin movably mounted on each of the floats, and a mechanism connected with each fin operable by weight of the operator imposed thereon to effect 'movement 0f theV associated fin into 'extendedposition 3. An apparatus for walking on water comprising floats, afin movably mounted on each of the floats, anda mechanism connected with each of the fins operable'by the `foot ofthe opertor as he shifts his weight from onefloa't to the other to effect movement ofthe associated fin.l

' 4. An apparatus for walking on water comprising a frame, parallel floats beneath the frame, means shi'ftably supporting the frame izo on the floats, a fin movably mounted on each v Y of the floats, a means whereby longitudinal mov-ement of either float With respect to thek frame advances said frame, and a means operable by Weight of the operator imposed thereon to positively actuate each fin into eX- tended position.

5. An apparatus for Walking on water coinprisingl a frame, parallel floats beneath the frame, means shiftably supporting the frame on the floats, a lever pivoted near its middle to the frame,v links pivoted to the ends of the lever and to the floats respectively, a fin 1novably mounted on each of the floats, and a mechanism connected with each fin operable by the Weight of anoperator imposed thereon and supported by the floats to move the associated fin from one position to another.

6. An apparatus for Walking on Watercoinprising floats, a means shiftably connecting the floats, a fin movably mounted on each of' the floats, and a mechanism connected With each fin operable by the Weight of an operator imposed thereon and supported by the` tive to the other float, afin movably mounted f on each of the floats, and a mechanism connec-ted lWith each fin operable by the Weight of an operator imposed thereon and supported by the floats to move the associated fin fromV one position to another. Y

Signed at Los Angeles, Calif., this 28 day of Nov., 1927.

ALBERT N. sHELDoN. 

